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 Copyright

Users of the Media and Reserve Services collections, multimedia equipment and editing stations must comply with copyright law.  Unauthorized copying of copyrighted or licensed works is prohibited by law.  Fair Use allows educators and students to copy works in certain context.  Factors for determining fair use include:

• The purpose and character of the use (commercial or nonprofit).
• The nature of the copyrighted work.
• The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the work as a whole.
• The effect of the use on the potential market.

1997 CONFU Fair Use guidelines for multimedia and classroom use recommend the following conservative practices for copying:

• Portion:  10% or 3 minutes of motion media work; 1,000 words of text work; 30 seconds of music and lyrics work; 5 images by an artist; and 2,500 fields/cells from a database.
• Notice & credits:  best practice credits the sources of materials used.
• Students:  use restricted to course work, classroom study, and portfolio.
• Educators:  use restricted to teaching materials for face-to-face, distance education, self directed study, and research.  Retention for 2 years (without permission) and for their portfolio.

Copyright Law: US Code, Title 17

• Sect. 106: Exclusive rights of creators
• Sect. 107: Fair use and limits to exclusive rights
• Sect. 108: Libraries and limits to exclusive rights

Additional Resources for Copyright Information

• United States Copyright Office
• Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States (Cornell, Jan. 2007) chart of copyright and treaty date terms and when works pass into the public domain
• Copyright Basics
• Fair Use Guidelines for Educational Multimedia Educational Multimedia Fair Use Guidelines Development Committee, July 17, 1996  (CONFU)
• Statement on the Copyright Law and Fair Use in Music Music Library ASsociation, 1996
• Guidelines for Educational Uses of Music, Ad Hoc Committee on Copyright Law Revision, 1976
• Fair Use and Free Speech Resources for documentary filmmakers
• Guidelines for Off-Air Taping for Educational Purposes, Congressional Record 1984
• Brinson and Radcliffe, An Intellectual Property Law Primer for Multimedia and Web Developers.  from Multimedia Law and Business Handbook.
• Creative Commons an alternative to copyright for your own creations